Solutions for Soulful Living

Month: March 2020

As we are all currently living through these uncertain times, the desire to know what lies ahead and what we can do for our future runs high. These days, with the heightened anxiety and strong waves of emotion and fear, it is diffcult to determine if we will out come out of this alright. What’s in your toolbox? We rely on our inner strength when separated from our communities. Mindfulness, prayer, and phone calls to loved ones help the days pass. I am certain that those who practice the art of divination are using all they know to navigate the oncoming terrain. If you have no experience in this area, why not start learning now?

Divination is “the art of discovering the future right now in the present,” it is the art of prophecy and the foretelling of the unknown, explains Judika Illes in her writings. The art of divination is passive in that it is not done to effect or cause change, but rather, it is a conscious attempt to obtain information regarding events. For many practitioners, she says, this art is sacred and spiritual.

This behavior, of divining, is nothing new. Divination has taken place for thousands of years, indeed it is an ancient practice that that grown and evolved over time. Long ago, diviners were consulted before the biggest decisions were made, such as those regarding war or sacrifice. There was great pressure to make accurate predictions, as you can imagine.

Just a few centuries ago in Britain, cunning folk (wise men/women) used methods of divination to restore or locate lost goods, whether stolen or misplaced. Sometimes divination was used to find a missing person. Other times it was used to make predictions, thus providing advice, on all sorts of matters. Wise men and women were also called upon to discover whether or not one’s illness or misfortune developed from malevolent witchcraft. As you can see from these examples alone, there are many reasons why one would want to develop this art, as it has served humanity for ages.

There many tools at the hand of a diviner – numerous methods and techniques are available for divination. Tarot, Runes, I-Ching and even palm reading rank at the top of the list concerning popularity. Below, I’ll describe some of my favorites or at least those that I find to be the most interesting.

Automatic Writing or Psychography is written communication with a spirit done unconsciously by a person in a trance or semi-conscious state, according to paranormal-encyclopedia.com, however, I tend to think of the writing that emerges as coming from ones consciousness or higher power. A piece of ‘automatic writing’ can bloom out of a simple guided imagery or even a light state of self-hypnosis. I’ve experienced this through different class/workshop leaders and have found that diverse facilitation styles work well.

Cartomancy is divining from cards. Sometimes the tool is a deck of tarot cards, other times it is a standard deck of playing cards. The branch of cartomancy that is specific to the use of the tarot for divination is called taromancy. I’m a fan of the classic Rider-Waite-Smith deck. I’ve had mine since I was 18 years old, tried-and-true!

Gyromancy is divination in which one walking in or around a circle falls from dizziness and prognosticates from the place of the fall. To expand on this definition, paranormal-encyclopedia.com, explains gyromancy as a form of divination that takes place by walking or twirling around a circle marked with letters until dizzy and, using the letters at the point where the person falls or stumbles to spell out a prophecy. Now that’s fascinating!

Necromancy is a form of divination that involves communicating with the deceased and can involve summoning of the spirits of the dead for purposes of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events.

Oneiromancy is divination by means of dreams, specifically through the interpretation of dreams. This is a favorite. It is a divination method that I have practiced for about 15 years. One can incubate a dream in order to assist with the process.

Dreamers report receiving messages or learning new information from the dearly departed. I add this here because sometimes deceased loved ones pop up in dreams to express love or just to tell us that they are okay. This is different that necromancy, as defined above. You can read more on this in my book Extraordinary Dreams.

Radiesthesia describes divination through the use of a pendulum or rod. There are several ways in which to divine via radiesthesia. It describes the sensitiveness held to enable a person with the aid of divining rod or pendulum to detect things (such as the presence of underground water, the nature of an illness, or the guilt of a suspected person).

Scrying is sometimes called crystal gazing, but it is more accurately the term for divination by seeking a vision while gazing into a transparent, translucent, or reflective object. Crystal scrying, sometimes done with a crystal ball, is just one well known example. One can scry with a bowl of liquid (wine, water, ink), a mirror (or specifically a black mirror), in fire (including the embers or smoke) and even through another person’s eyes. My very first experience of scrying at the age of 19 was done through the eyes of another. This friend (and his eyes) were my first teacher into the art of scrying. Later, I came to prefer dark reflective surfaces because they have worked best in my experience. I take good care of my obsidian mirror.

Tasseography or tasseomancy is divination is done through the reading of tea leaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments. Know that there are different ways to do this. For example, first brew a loose leaf tea (without a strainer), then when it has cooled down drink the tea as you concentrate on the question. Next, drain out the remaining bit of liquid by turning the cup over completely. Some or all of the remaining leaves will spill out. What remains in the tea cup reveals the prediction.

Throughout history, the ancient art of divination, in so many of its forms, has been both outlawed and condemned during certain periods of time, while during other times it has been praised by those in power, and even expected to some degree. Today, divination seems to have made its way into the spotlight again. Although those of certain persuasions do not speak highly of it. In my opinion, it is a personal decision to access materials and techniques for divination. If you don’t like it, leave it be. If instead, it calls to you, try it out. During this current ‘shelter-in-place’ order, it just might be the right time to delve into this ancient art. Just remember to dedicate yourself and practice daily. There are many experienced diviners of all types that are open to teach, consult and counsel. What tools and techniques do you want to learn more about? Which might you already use?

When you think about your life, what has been your guiding compass? Maybe it has changed over time, or evolved in some way. Our bodies can be this guiding compass, serving our highest good.

Our bodies are tools or vehicles providing us tangible or visual form to a feeling, a quality, or a state of being. How does this come about? Well, first know that the body is not the servant to the brain, as some believe. Through the practice of embodiment, and getting out of our head, we attend to sensations. From this calm, quiet space, we can gain new knowledge.

Let’s try a simple exercise: As you continue to read the next paragraph, maintain awareness of your posture. Be in your body fully, as you make any physical adjustments, scratch an itch, or shift your weight.

Yes, the body can produce new knowledge if we are patient and make room for it – areas of experience in which we were previously unaware can come forward. Embodiment is a non-verbal human trait. It is the present time feltexperience of awareness in a moment as it is happening (Tantia, 2011). Embodied knowledge precedes cognitive awareness. Some have said that our autonomic nervous system is the system of the lived experience. By practicing the skills of embodiment, we may discover that some sensations do not have names or commonly used descriptive elements. That’s okay! One client I worked with earlier this week, used the term “Crinkly” to described his inner experience which was a combination of sensation with visual form located in a specific area of his body. Staying deeply in his body and experiencing what was manifesting in that moment provided him with information beyond what his thoughts, beliefs and judgments could offer. This bodily information system helped him make a decision about something he needed to do; The decision being an informed one from both his intelligence and his inner awareness.

Goldstein (1993) noted, “Practicing mindfulness of the body is one of the easiest ways to stay present in daily life…Our body is quite obvious as an object of attention, not subtle like thoughts and emotions. We can stay aware of the body easily, but only if we remember to do so” (p. 139). Are you still aware of your posture, in this moment?

With practice, we can experience embodiment while going about our day. If you are new to this, I invite you to put your electronic device down and close your eyes if that is comfortable for you. Take a few conscious abdominal breaths. Notice various sensations. Any areas of tension or numbness in the body? This is a beginning step which can expand embodied awareness with time dedicated to practicing.

Remember, the body is always there. Consider it a trusted guide, a lifelong friend, a forbearer of self-knowledge.